Queen Mary the merry experience Past Review

By (BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES., Wellesley College) - abroad from 09/16/2013 to 12/13/2013 with

Queen Mary University of London Study Abroad programme

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I very much enjoyed the study abroad experience as I got to meet lots of new friends of different background. It was interesting to see the different lifestyle and educational style between UK and US. Also, I had great opportunity of taking advantage of many museums in London by taking art history classes at Queen Mary. I really enjoyed having class trips to museums to learn the art pieces right in front of them. It was very worthwhile as you cannot have such experiences if just studying in classroom.

Review Photos

University of London - Queen Mary: London - Direct Enrollment & Exchange Photo University of London - Queen Mary: London - Direct Enrollment & Exchange Photo University of London - Queen Mary: London - Direct Enrollment & Exchange Photo

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

As the class hours were much less than what I was used to back at home institution, the academic pressure was much less. Yet, it did ask for more independent study during the free time.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The study abroad administration was very organized and readily available to help anything the study abroad students needed. As the study abroad office was very eager to help out, I felt comfortable for asking any questions.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I was assigned in a single room that includes a small bathroom, bed, desk, closet and mini fridge. Though the room was a single room, it was located on a flat which shares the kitchen with about 7 other students. So there was interactions with neighboring flatmates as well. The room was very clean and convenient to live. Living on-campus was very nice as it was easy to go to classes.

* Food:

I heard the school's meals were very disappointing that I did not sign up for the meal plan. As there was a kitchen in each flat, it was very convenient to cook for myself. So I just went grocery shopping once a week to buy ingredients and cooked for myself easily. There were also some quick grab-and-go food places near the school where I often went to.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I went around a lot that I felt like I had integrated well with the local culture. Also, socializing with other flatmates who were mostly from London was helpful in learning more about the local culture.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I did not have any particular health issues during the program.

* Safety:

The location of the school honestly gets little bit dangerous at night as it is located in East London. East London is very multi-cultural area which is nice but could also mean cheaper area compared to the central London city. However, as I lived on-campus, I felt much safer as there were campus police. Also, the dorm has to be swiped-in with student ID and the flat also needs specific key then another key for the room. So I was glad I lived on-campus.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

The general price in London was very expensive that I had hard time adjusting to London's extremely high prices. It was much more expensive than the food price in the states, even for cheap foods like fast-foods.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? About $150~200/week
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? I felt like wasting when I bought cooking tools because I knew I would be using it for only one semester. However, as it was expensive to eat out every meal, I began to cook a lot in the flat's kitchen. So though it may feel wasteful in the beginning to buy the cooking tools, it will eventually be very useful and more economic as you would be cooking a lot of the times.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Museum visits
  • Closed campus style
  • Diversity
* What could be improved?
  • Meal plan
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I just want to say that there is no need to worry that much before going to the program as the local students are very welcoming of the study abroad students and that it is not very much different to make friends even in different school.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

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The Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.